


FOXBORO — The Patriots proved Sunday that the same plan can produce two wildly different outcomes.
For the second straight week, Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo and defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington didn’t task top cornerback Christian Gonzalez with shadowing a single wide receiver. Instead, Gonzalez covered the boundary — the side of the hash marks that the ball is on (or the short side of the field) — in consecutive weeks against the Bears and Rams.
This week, that plan resulted in Rams wide receivers Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp each going off for over 100 yards in the Patriots’ 28-22 loss. The Patriots shut down the Bears’ offense in a 19-3 win last week despite going against talented wide receivers D.J. Moore, Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze.
“We just thought that was the best thing to do,” Mayo said Sunday after the loss to the Rams. “And it’s a mix of man and zone, so we thought that was the best thing to do.”
Rams head coach Sean McVay was able to scheme Nacua and Kupp away from Gonzalez and put wide receiver DeMarcus Robinson in the boundary.
Nacua caught seven passes on nine targets for 123 yards with a touchdown while Kupp caught six passes on 10 targets for 106 yards with two touchdowns.
Mayo was asked if he regretted the plan or the decision not to adjust quicker.
“Not at all. Kupp had the one reception which was a huge chunk of those yards,” Mayo said. “Look, going into the game, we have a plan, and we’re always willing to change that plan. I felt like we’re going to be OK. I thought we could outlast them.”
Kupp caught a 69-yard touchdown at the beginning of the second half with cornerback Jonathan Jones in coverage. The Patriots sent seven defenders on an all-out blitz, leaving no safety help for Jones, who slipped in coverage.